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This easy lemon tahini dressing recipe is creamy, nutty, bright, and ready in less than 10 minutes! It’s perfect on salads, roasted vegetables, and grains.
You may also like my Creamy Balsamic Dressing or this Creamy Pesto Dressing.
Why you’ll love it
Tahini sauce is such a great way to elevate a number of dishes. It’s silky, tangy, and earthy. You can use it on all kinds of things, everything from drizzling it on your favorite leafy greens to jazzing up roasted vegetables and grain bowls or using it as a spread in pitas.
It also comes together quickly, and there’s no need for dirtying up your blender or food processor! Even if you’ve never cooked with tahini before, chances are that you’re already familiar with it since it’s a key ingredient in most hummus recipes. It’s very tasty.
What you’ll need
- Tahini – it’s made from sesame seeds that are toasted and ground, giving it a warm and earthy flavor. It can usually be found in a jar in the nut butter section of most grocery stores, or try the ethnic foods aisle.
- Lemon – freshly squeezed lemon juice adds zesty acidity to it
- Honey – a touch of sweetness balances the flavors
- Garlic – it gives another punch of savory flavor
- Ground cumin – optional, but it adds robust depth
Pro tip
As with any homemade dressing, it’s easy to adjust to personal tastes after following the quantities listed below! Make it sweeter, more lemony, thin it out with more water, etc. until it’s perfect for you.
How to make tahini dressing
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
If the tahini has separated in its jar, give it a stir. Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, honey, and ground cumin to a medium bowl along with one-third of the water. Whisk together, then slowly add more water until the desired consistency is reached. Taste, season with salt & pepper, and use the suggested add-ins below if desired.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I like to store my homemade salad dressings in these yogurt jars or mason jars.
- Mince the garlic with a garlic press. No peeling needed!
- I keep leftover lemon in this cute lemon saver. Yes, it’s shaped like a lemon.
How to use tahini dressing
- You can slap it on practically anything. It’s great on kale salad, roasted vegetables like my Easy Roasted Sweet Potatoes or these Easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, or even as a dip for raw vegetables.
- Try it in a Buddha bowl, or customize your own grain bowl (e.g., farro with chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, other veggies, etc.)
- It’s also fantastic on falafel, proteins like fish, and as a sandwich, pita, or burger spread. Try it on my Best Ground Chicken Burgers.
Substitutions and variations
- If you need this to be a vegan tahini dressing, simply swap the honey out with agave syrup or maple syrup!
- You can jazz it up with some optional add-ins. I suggest smoked paprika to give it a special smoky quality and/or some chopped chives for a pop of freshness and contrast.
Leftovers and storage
- Store any leftovers of this tahini dressing for 5-7 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Give it a good shake or stir when you’re ready to use it since it may have separated.
- I don’t recommend freezing this dressing since it’s liable to change texture.
I hope you love this creamy tahini dressing recipe! How do you use it? If you made it, please leave me a star rating and review below or tag me in your photos on Instagram.
Easy Lemon Tahini Dressing
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup/agave if vegan)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- 3 tablespoons water
- Salt & pepper to taste
More add-in suggestions (optional – use none, one, or all):
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
Instructions
- Give the tahini a stir in its jar if it looks separated. Add the 4 tablespoons tahini to a medium bowl, along with the lemon juice, honey, garlic, cumin, and 1 tablespoon of the water. Whisk together.
- Whisk in 1 tablespoon of water at a time until the dressing reaches your desired consistency. I like mine with 3 tablespoons water, but adjust as needed.
- Taste dressing and season it with salt & pepper as needed. Whisk in additional ingredients if using. The smoked paprika gives the dressing a nice, smoky flavor, and the chives provide a burst of freshness.
Notes
- Everyone’s tastes vary, so if you find the dressing isn’t sweet enough, add more sweetener. If you want it more lemony, add more lemon juice. My ingredient quantities are just suggestions.
- Store any dressing leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. You may need to add more water to thin it out again.
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This recipe was originally published on April 9, 2018. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
I had to leave out the paprika, garlic and chives–but the dressing is perfectly balanced. A hint of lemon and sweetness. I used about 3/4 teaspoon salt for a double size batch and that is just right for us. Also, I used a mini blender and it whipped it up into the silkiest mousse like texture. I kept adding water to thin it out but it just got creamier and lovelier. Anyway, its divine! Thanks
I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
Excellent!
So glad you liked it!
I just made this with the last of my tahini. Qh My Goodness! It’s delicious. Tonight it will go on a grilled veg salad, but Its good all by itself. Thanks for the great recipe.
I am so glad you liked it, Marilyn!
Love it, added the smoked paprika. Yum! Love that your mum and sis commented. 😊
Excellent!! Haha yes, they sometimes read my blog 😀
just poured a load of this over some quinoa. Delicious.
So glad you liked it!!
I recently had honey lemon tahini dressing on a dish of roasted farm vegetables at Central Market in Petaluma. OMG YUM!!! The vegetables ranged from thin slices of browned delicata squash to root veggies to snap peas to the kitchen sink, but it was so good that we ate it all and mopped up the sauce with bread. If you are trying to coax your young ones to eat their veggies, I can’t think of a better way.
Thank you!!! You’re making me hungry haha.
They liternally have the BEST roasted vegetables in the WORLD….Have you tried this sauce? Does it taste similar? I am dying to recreate this at home.!!!
Is that the handsome bowl I got you?
Nope! Got this one in San Francisco.
All these possibilities for this dressing, yet you’ve made it with exactly zero things for me. Will you soon?
No.